How to make beef bone broth (beef stock) by simmering bones with aromatic vegetables, herbs, and spices. It’s rich, silky, flavorful, and loaded with collagen, vitamins, and minerals - for soups, stews, sauces, or sipping on as an elixir!
Transfer the bones to a large, heavy-based pot/Dutch oven and cover them with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain the liquid and rinse the pot.For more flavor, you can now roast the bones (drizzle with olive oil) on a roasting pan in the oven at 400ºF/200ºC for 40-60 minutes (optionally with the veggies), flipping halfway, until browned. Add a little water to the pan to de-glaze the brown bits, and add it to the stock pan.
Prepare the vegetables. Peel and halve the onion and roughly chop the garlic and ginger. Roughly chop the carrot and celery into 2-inch pieces.
Simmer the Stock
In a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot, add all the ingredients and pour enough water until the bones are only just covered (I used 12 cups).
Cover with a lid, then bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook for 8-12 hours. During this process, keep the lid slightly ajar and occasionally skim the foamy scum/fat from the top of the liquid. Add more water, if needed, to ensure the solids remain submerged.The time it takes to release all the nutrients from the bones will depend on your bone type. You can continue to simmer it for up to 48 hours in total.To use any leftover vegetable solids, remove them after a maximum of 1 ½-2 hours simmering.
Strain the beef stock through a fine-mesh strainer and add salt (if using). Allow it to cool slightly - placing the bowl of bone broth in an ice bath will help to speed up the cooling and avoid bacteria growth. Then transfer it to mason jars/airtight containers.
Slow Cooker Beef Bone Broth
Blanch (and optionally roast) the beef bones, then add all the ingredients to the crockpot and cook on LOW for 12-16 hours (up to 36 hours total) with the lid slightly ajar, adding additional water as needed to keep the bones covered. Then strain it.Remove the vegetables/herbs after 8 hours if you wish to use them elsewhere.
Instant Pot Beef Stock/Bone Broth
Add all the ingredients (making sure to only fill to the 2/3 full MAX line in the pot), select the Soup/Broth setting, and set the timer for 2 hours (120 minutes) for a gelatinous bone broth. Allow it to natural release, then strain.
Oven Baked Beef Stock
Blanch the bones (and optionally roast them). Then transfer them to a large Dutch oven along with the remaining ingredients and place them in a preheated oven at 200ºF/95ºC for between 8-12 hours.
Storage Instructions
When stored in airtight jars/containers, it should last 5-7 days in the fridge . When chilled, it will become thick, gelatinous, and jello-like in consistency (due to all the collagen). However, it will return to a liquid state when reheated.To freeze: There are several ways to successfully freeze beef stock. First, remove any excess fat, then freeze it either in Ziplock bags, Ice cube trays, or Jars (leave at least 1 inch of headspace) for up to 4 months (label the jars/Ziplocks to avoid waste).To use, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, use the microwave defrost setting, or add cubes directly to cooking dishes.
Video
Notes
What are the best bones for beef bone broth? These are bones that provide the most collagen and connective tissue: beef joints, knuckles, marrow bones (use sparingly to avoid overly greasy stock), neck bones, femur, etc.For more flavor, also use meaty bones: shank, oxtail, and short ribs.What else could I add to the stock? There are several ways to add more flavor:
Herbs/Spices: Parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, coriander seeds, star anise, etc.
Other vegetables: Scallion greens, leeks, tomato, mushrooms, etc.
Umami: you can enhance the umami flavor with dried mushrooms, seaweed, miso paste, soy sauce, or tomato sauce.
Bouillon powder: Some like giving the beef stock a head start with a small amount of beef bouillon/beef base. However, this will add sodium, too.
More tips and notes:
Where to get bones? You can keep a bag in the freezer to store collected bones/beef trimmings from your cooking. Local butchers and local farms you can order from may also supply low-cost or free bones. Plus, Asian and Mexican stores may stock some.
Don’t use too much water: You need just enough to cover the bones.
Don’t stir the broth. There's no need, and stirring will yield a cloudier stock.
Experiment: Try roasting the bones, and roasting the veggies, use a different selection of veggies, herbs, seasonings, etc., to find your desired flavor profile.
To avoid cloudy beef stock: Ensure you boil the bones first, then ensure the simmering stock never boils, removing any scum from the surface.
To reduce the beef stock: After straining the solids from the stock, return it to the pan and simmer, with the lid off, until it reduces/concentrates to your desired level (I usually halve it). When using the beef stock concentrate, you can add the water back.
Reuse the bones: If they aren't yet falling apart, no need to discard them. You can reuse them for a second batch of broth (combined with new bones).
Check the blog post for serving recommendations and answers to top FAQs!